What is fascia and why should you give a f*ck?

What is fascia? This has been the buzzword in the massage and bodywork industry for awhile now and it seems to be popping up more and more in the minds of the general public. I have had more clients ask me this question in 2023 than all the previous 5 years I’ve been practicing bodywork and may I point out we are not even half way through the year. So, I figured it was time for an overview of what fascia is and why you definitely want to give a f*ck.

Fascia is our body’s soft skeleton. It gives us our 3D structure, it supports and provides tension so we can actually use our muscles and bones to move in the world and it is our bodies largest sensory organ with 250 million nerve endings keeping it connected to our internal and external world. I recently took a continueing education course on fascia and was blown away by what I learned and it just scratched the surface of what we know about fascia.

One of the many reasons fascia is so unique is because it is not only designated as a tissue but it is it’s own system. You know how we have a circulatory, digestive and lymphatic system? Fascia is so extensive and important it is a system unto itself and it touches everything, and I mean EVERYTHING in the body from organs to muscles, nerve fibers to brain, skin to bone and every inch in between. It is sometimes called the glue that holds us together but it is so much more interactive than glue! By working the fascia we can work every other body system it interacts with, which is everything from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.

Fascia is a continuous sheath permeating the body that is made fiber, gel and cells. What’s especially wild is that most of your fascia system is NOT made of cells. It’s made from collagen, protein, elastin and hyaluronic acid. The fibers are mostly made of collagen, which gives it strength, and elastin, giving it extensibility. The gel is mostly made of water which is where the hyaluronic acid comes in helping to hold and suspend water in the fascia tissue. The major cells that the fascia system contains are fibroblasts and fasciacytes. There are so many types of fascia it’s hard to keep track a few of which include tendons, ligaments, deep fascia, superficial fascia (connects to your skin), plantar fascia, dermis and subcutis just to name a few. It was a little overwhelming to realize how extensive and how little I knew about fascia after taking this course but let’s talk about why this matters to you when you are getting massage or bodywork.

When we are working on aches and pains in the body what is important to consider is that we are manipulating the fascia at every step of the way. From superficial Swedish techniques to deep tissue manipulation, we are in the fascia. When we push on a muscles, we are using a technique called compressoin which is wonderful at helping fascia to loosen and become more flexible. So if you notice your massage therapist pushing for a period of time on your leg or arm before they undrape the limb, they are helping to release your fascia so that they can move in to the muscle as well as access the nervous system efficiently. It is vital to understand that when they loosen the fascia, they loosen adhesion (aka knots) as well as compression on nerves so that you can feel less pain, have more range of motion and retain these benefits longer. Whether you get a warm stone massage, a myofascial session or a manual lymphatic drainage, the treatment is directly affecting the fascia system and this is a good thing! That means the nerves, muscles, bones, organs and all other systems of the body can function at an optimal level.

Now that we know why it’s important to have healthy fascia, what makes our fascia unhealthy? Two of the most detrimental things we can do to our fascia is live a sedentary lifestyle and perform repetitive movements. This means that exercise, active lifestyles and regular stretching and massage are invaluable to our fascia health. We all have repetitive actions we do (how long were you on your phone today scrolling might I ask?) and it is a normal part of modern life to feel high levels of stress (can you feel those shoulders up by your ears?). Stress causes fascia tension which leads to muscle tension, compression on nerves and minimized healthy function of other systems of the body. Just another reason to take that vacation time, spend an afternoon working in your garden or take a walk/hike with family and friends over the weekend to decrease stress and increase fascia health.

I hope this fascia info has you motivated to explore more about your fascia and its importance regarding your overall health. Leave a comment below with your questions about fascia! I’d love to hear your thoughts!